Further Protection for Springs General Store

The sense of place and time evoked by the Springs General Store, which sits along Accabonac Harbor and across from Pussy’s Pond in the Springs Historic District, will be further protected with the recently approved purchase by East Hampton Town of a facade easement that will assure that the property will continue to look as it has since the building was constructed in 1884.

The store is one of 10 19th-century structures in the historic district, which also includes Ashawagh Hall, the Parsons Blacksmith Shop, and several houses. Inclusion in the district “offers some protection,” according to a resolution approving the easement purchase, “but not as specific, restrictive, or as enforceable” as the easement.

The $170,000 purchase, using money from the community preservation fund, will preclude the addition of new structures on the 1.4-acre site, protect the store, old gas pumps, and existing outbuildings from external change, and protect the view of the property.

The store site, owned by Mike and Jan Collins of Springs under a corporation called M C Jan, has been on the market, and a reported buyer, who has not been named, has offered Kristi Hood, who operates the store, a lease extension.

The town board unanimously approved the easement purchase last Thursday. The historic district encompassing various sites in the heart of Springs, according to the board resolution, “maintains the relationships between the farmhouses, community buildings, country store, and blacksmith shop. These structures represent many facets of life in this thriving agrarian community during the 19th century.”

“There’s something special about being able to preserve an important icon in Springs,” said Supervisor Larry Cantwell. He asked Councilman Fred Overton, a native of the hamlet, whether he had ever gotten into any trouble behind the store as a youth.

Mr. Overton took the Fifth. But, he said, “I bought my first gallon of gas there.” It was Gulf, he said, at 25 cents a gallon.